Challenging the dominance of English in international schools - Part one: Multilingual competence

We cannot overstate the dominance of English in international schooling: it is the language of instruction in probably 90 per cent of international schools (Carder, 2018, p.26); ISC Research includes the delivery of curriculum ‘wholly or partly in English’ as its criteria for identifying international schools outside of ‘English-speaking countr[ies]’; international schools’ websites frequently advertise the development of fluency in English as one of their core aims. Despite the existence of a ‘well-established, yet rather slow growing’ number of international schools whose language of instruction is not English (Bunnell, 2019, p.294) — and the expansion of bilingual international schools in some regions — the term ‘international’ seems often to be used as a synonym of ‘English-speaking’, and the reality is that, while “demanding an ‘international’ curriculum”, clientele are “invest[ing] in the English-medium education, which is ‘ideally’ provided by ‘native-speaker’ staff” (Meyer, 2021, p.93). This “desire for English-medium and Western-style education among the growing middle and upper classes” around the world, “particularly in developing countries”, seems to be “insatiable” (Tanu, 2018, Location №530). It is clear that the growth of international schooling around the world is made possible by the dominance of English and, at the same time, the dominance of English is reinforced by international schooling.

However, we must think critically about this dominance and take action to challenge it within our international schools, if we are to ever achieve their transformation into more equitable and inclusive spaces. This is something I have thought about a lot during the last decade in which I’ve been teaching English in international schools in China. As an English as an Additional Language (EAL) specialist teacher, it’s my job to help develop students’ English language skills so they can access the curriculum through English. It is not, however, my job to unquestioningly and uncritically reproduce inequitable linguistic and cultural hierarchies that position English as superior or the only legitimate language of knowledge production. It is not my job to present a narrow vision of English that associates the language just with ‘native speakers’ from places like the United Kingdom and the United States of America and ignores the diverse forms of Englishes around the world. It’s not my job to teach English at the expense of students’ other languages.

How can we think critically and take action given this undeniable and continuing dominance of English in most international schools? In this series, I will outline some possible steps international school teachers and leaders can take to rethink and begin reconfiguring the role of English(es) within their schools as part of larger work to re-create those schools as more inclusive and equitable spaces. Each action point is followed by questions to prompt reflection and additional resources for further exploration.

Rather than a narrow focus on developing students’ English fluency, we should shift our aims towards multilingual competence (Kang, 2013). We should take more seriously, as the International Baccalaureate puts it, that multilingualism is a fact, a resource, and a right (IBO, 2011, p.9). This right to multilingualism includes the right of students to develop the language(s) of their family or community, the language(s) used in the places where they’re living, and so on, not just the language(s) of schooling. If all children have the right to multilingualism, if we are seeking to develop internationally-minded global citizens with deep intercultural understanding, if we are trying to create more equitable and inclusive schools that leverage student diversity, a focus on English above all else is too narrow. Instead, the development of multilingual competence — which includes English — should be central to our aims, and we should reframe multilingualism as a key component of becoming international and central to the mission of international schooling.

Reflection Questions:

• Does your school community have a shared understanding of what it means to be international? How does multilingualism fit in this vision?
• How might you get parents, students, and other stakeholders on board with the vision that the aim of international schooling is to develop multilingual competence rather than just English proficiency?

Explore More:

• ‘The Multilingual Turn and International Schools’

After rethinking our aims to prioritize multilingual competence rather than just English proficiency, we can begin to reconfigure our systems and procedures to align them with this aim. Most international schools have developed procedures for regular English proficiency testing and track English-related interventions and support plans through EAL Registers and other systems. Do we have similar systems for tracking students’ development in their home languages and additional languages? Do we implement learning plans for those students whose home languages are not offered within the school curriculum? Do we record and share useful information about students’ multilingual profiles with all teachers, rather than just details about English proficiency? Intentionally designing systems and procedures — through the lenses of diversity, equity, and inclusion — for multilingualism will help us realise our revised aim of developing multilingual competence for all learners. Changes to curriculum provision (home language classes, for instance), or to the school environment (such as multilingual classroom displays or signage), or admissions assessment (to include home language testing, perhaps), are examples of other structural changes that might be made to resist the monolingual bias that is prevalent in many international schools.

Reflection Questions:

• Which systems or procedures in your school center on English or prioritise those with more advanced English proficiency? How could they be re-configured to focus on multilingualism?
• Which new systems or procedures could be implemented to promote multilingualism for all learners?

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• Equity and English as an additional language: Looking beyond deficit and asset lenses

In the next chapter of the series, I will tackle the topics of cultural hierarchies and linguistic choice and ask whether English is really the language of inclusion.

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(This article is part of a piece originally published on Medium)